Welcome Message from APAO 2018 Organizing Committee Chair
New Member Society Joining APAO 2018
Spotlight on Asia-Pacific Supporting Societies
APAO 2018 Opening Ceremony
APAO 2018 Charity Run
Dining in Hong Kong

Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

On behalf of the Local Organizing Committee, I would like to invite you to join us in Hong Kong for the 33^rd APAO Congress. We are truly honored to host this prestigious event and we can’t thank APAO enough for giving us the opportunity to do so. We are also grateful to all the Organizing Committee members for voluntarily devoting their precious time and energy to making this meeting a success.   

In addition to the impressive scientific program, in 2018, for the first time at an APAO Congress, we plan to have wet laboratory instruction courses and prizes for the best submissions. We are also busy preparing a social program that will provide excellent opportunities for delegates to have fun with old friends and meet new ones, including the Presidential Dinner and the Gala Dinner, which will showcase different aspects of our unique Hong Kong culture, along with the Charity Run and Young Ophthalmologists’ Night.  

Hong Kong is a safe and dynamic city, and there is plenty to see and experience, no matter whether you are a seasoned traveler or first-time visitor. Please come and join me in Hong Kong in February 2018!
 

Carmen Chan
APAO 2018 Organizing Committee Chair

A total of 5 new APAO member societies will be sending official representatives to the APAO Congress for the first time at APAO 2018 in Hong Kong. In this newsletter, we feature the Asia-Pacific Ophthalmic Trauma Society (APOTS), a new APAO Associate Member Society.

Informally formed in March 2011, APOTS aims to encourage dialogue and collaboration between relevant practitioners working in the Asian Subcontinent and along the Pacific Basin. Currently, Prof. S. Natarajan is president of APOTS and he will also represent the society on the APAO Council. He provided the following thoughts about joining APAO 2018.

Every year, the scientific program of the APAO Congress features symposiums organized by ophthalmic societies from the Asia-Pacific region, including many APAO Subspecialty Member Societies. Our thanks to the following societies for their generous support of the 2018 APAO Congress in Hong Kong. 

● The Academy of Asia-Pacific Professors of Ophthalmology (AAPPO) is committed to assisting in the academic development in ophthalmology in the Asia-Pacific region.

● The Asia Cornea Society (ACS) is spurred by a common vision amongst corneal subspecialists and researchers throughout Asia to foster the exchange of knowledge and information on clinical, educational and research aspects of the corneal subspecialty with particular focus and relevance to Asian corneal diseases.

● The Asian Neuro-Ophthalmology Society (ASNOS) was founded in 2002 and holds scientific meetings every two years with a unique clinicopathologic case presentation conference in the style of the Frank B. Walsh Society Meeting, the "Walsh-in-Asia," to promote and contribute to the development of neuro-ophthalmology in Asian countries.

● The mission of the Asia-Pacific Glaucoma Society (APGS) is to promote excellence in the diagnosis and care of patients with glaucoma of all types at both individual and community levels.

● The Asia-Pacific Society of Ocular Oncology and Pathology (APSOOP) works to engage, advance and further the research, study, education, academic exchanges of knowledge relevant to ocular oncology and pathology.

● The Asia-Pacific Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (APSOPRS) continuously supports efforts to provide the highest level oculoplastic treatment to all persons.

● The Asia Pacific Ophthalmic Trauma Society (APOTS), a new APAO Associate Member, aims to build a network and team of eye care professionals with special interest in ocular trauma to advance the clinical care, science and research in ocular trauma.

● The goals of the Asia-Pacific Strabismus and Paediatric Ophthalmology Society (APSPOS) are to improve the development of pediatric ophthalmology and strabismus in the Asia-Pacific region and to provide a platform for exchange of knowledge and skills in this subspecialty.

● The main objective of the Asia-Pacific Vitreo-retina Society (APVRS) is to engage, advance and further the research, study, education, academic exchanges of knowledge relevant to vitreoretinal diseases.

The Opening Ceremony of the 33^rd Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO) Congress in Hong Kong will take place from 4:00 to 5:00 pm on Thursday, February 8, 2018, at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.  

Highlights of the ceremony include the presentation of 4 APAO Named Awards: Jose Rizal International Medal, De Ocampo Lecture, Susruta Lecture, Arthur Lim Award. This year’s award recipients will be announced in the January 2018 Congress newsletter!

The third annual APAO Charity Run will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2018, during the 33^rd APAO Congress in Hong Kong. Participants will join a 2.4-km run and walk on the Central and Western District Promenade along the city’s beautiful Victoria Harbour.

Each participant is committed to raising at least US$100, which will be shared by The Lutheran Church Hong Kong Synod for its work to support visually impaired runners in Hong Kong and a new APAO educational program called the APAO Satellite Congress.

Stay tuned for registration information and further details of the APAO Charity Run!

Despite covering a rather small area, Hong Kong has no shortage of restaurants and dining opportunities. As an international city of commerce and trade, it features cuisines from around the world, but there are many delicious local delicacies as well.

One of the most famous Cantonese meals is dim sum, which means “touch your heart.” Typically eaten as breakfast or lunch, dim sum involves a variety of small dishes meant for sharing. The most popular include “haa gau” (shrimp dumplings), “siu mai” (shrimp and pork dumplings) and “cha siu bao” (barbequed pork buns).

In the winter, though the weather is not usually too cold, Hong Kong people like to go for hot pot. At a hot pot restaurant, diners cook their own meat, vegetables and noodles in a pot of stock or soup base at their table. This makes for both an entertaining and warming experience.

Other popular types of restaurants in Hong Kong include dai pai dongs, which often comprise open-air stalls along a small street, and cha chaan tengs, local diners where a unique mix of Chinese and Western cuisine is available. Hong Kong is also known for its street food, including curry fish balls, stinky tofu and crispy egg puffs.

APAO Headquarters
c/o APAO Office, State Key Laboratory (Ophthalmology)
Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-Sen University
1/F, No. 7 Jinsui Road,
Zhujiang New Town, Tianhe District
Guangzhou, Guangdong, P.R. China

APAO Secretariat (Hong Kong Office)
c/o Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences,
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
4/F, Hong Kong Eye Hospital, 147K Argyle Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 3943-5827
Fax: (852) 2715-9490
E-mail: secretariat@apaophth.org
Website: http://2018.apaophth.org/
                 http://www.apaophth.org/